The second season of this series gets off to a rather strong start. True, Jessica starts off feeling a bit flat just because she's still drinking and pushing those closest to her away. Thankfully, over the course of the episode, her arc starts to begin in earnest.
The first season used IGH as a sequel hook and this episode hints that it will be the main focus. Not only is it a good way to escalate things, but it also allows us to explore Jessica's origin. We know the jist, but it seems like there's more to what happened.
This gives Jessica a more personal stake, gives us more info on her background, and also allows her traumatic past to come to the forefront. Ritter brings her A-game here, as Jessica is frequently shaken and even teary eyed at various points in the episode. Either because she is that adamant about letting the past stay buried (despite Trish's well-intentioned protests), or because she saw a fellow super get crushed to death. While Jess is acerbic and isolationist, it allows the viewer to connect to and feel for the character, as her emotional anguish is palpable.
That said, this episode is also the most comic book-y to date. Jessica encounters another powered person who says that something is hunting them Some may like it, others won't. I thought it made it feel more established in the MCU, but it is kind of jarring going from Jessica's binge drinking and denial to a goofy chase around the office with a paranoid speedster. I totally get the argument that it's out of place in this show, but we'll see where it goes. I'm OK with the show playing into the setting more. Frankly, it's always weird to see people skeptical of things after everything that's happened since Tony Stark first made his debut as a superhero.
Speaking of superhero, the episode devotes a lot of time to showing Jessica outright denouncing the title. It's a bit weird that everyone used the exact term "vigilante superhero". I'd think people would lean towards one or the other, but it does make for some nice character moments. Jess doesn't really fit the "superhero" profile, clearly, and her offense at being called a vigilante makes sense. While she doesn't always succeed, she does try to work within legal parameters. You even see it in "Defenders".
As far as plot, there is the IGH stuff, but beyond that, the only real antagonist is a rival PI who offers to buy out Alias Investigations. He's smug, but you can't help but feel like he's in the right when he talks about suing Jessica after she beats him up. Yeah, he provoked her, but at the same time, it seems like a winnable law suit. He's also not wrong in pointing out that the slap on the wrist was a bit too light.
Even though Cox's name wasn't in the credits, it seemed like it would've been a great cameo to have him be the one representing her. I guess they figured it would just be a rehash of how they met, but it still seems like a missed opportunity.
Speaking of, Rand gets name-dropped and there's one mention of "the others" (re: vigilante superheroes) but there's no real mention of the Defenders. On the one hand, the public at large wouldn't know about those events so I kind of get it, but you'd think that Trish would point out that Jessica saved the city not too long ago or that Jess' ego would get a boost. I mean, taking down an ancient cult of ninjas is a pretty impressive feat.
Overall, I found this to be a strong opening. It had a nice balance in regards to tone. The stakes seem to be both higher and more personal. The writing and acting are also more impressive. The characters and story are able to take what worked in the first season and build on it to become more compelling and developed. I'm looking forward to seeing where Jess' story goes from here.
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